


Perfect Day

by helsinkibaby



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-07-20
Updated: 2000-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-20 20:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam is in a coma...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfect Day

The Gate Room was quiet except for the skeleton crew who were operating there. All the SG teams were out, and no one was expected back for at least three hours – and even then, that was SG-10, who were notorious for being late. One of the techs kept a cursory eye on the control panels, to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary was going on, while the rest of them paid far more attention to that day’s crossword in the local newspaper.

"What’s an eight letter word for approaching or arriving?" called out one, lost in thought. He was so lost in thought in fact, that he didn’t even notice that the Gate had sprung into operation and klaxons were blaring. 

"Incoming!" yelled one of his colleagues, who was more in tune with the moment.

"Thanks!" responded his hapless comrade, who finally seemed to remember who he was and what he was there for. "Oh crap!"

"At least. Better call Hammond."

"On it. Who’s coming back?"

"Dunno. Whoever it is, they’re early."

General Hammond strode in, a good two minutes ahead of them, as usual. "Who is it?"

"Not clear yet Sir…. getting a signal now!" He looked up from the console at the General. "It’s SG-1 Sir."

There were those around who swore that they heard General Hammond utter something distinctly non-military and regulation at that information, but they would never have admitted it. Everyone knew that the general had a soft spot for SG-1, and the fact that they were coming back a full day and a half ahead of schedule didn’t bode well. 

They all held their breath as the team came through the gate. Expecting four people, their hearts sank when they saw only three figures come through. Their hearts sank even further when they realised why there were only three figures – O’Neill and Jackson were standing, although the latter was bleeding profusely from a cut above his left eye. Teal’c however, was holding an unconscious Carter in his arms. 

>*<*>*<

Teal’c, O’Neill and Jackson stood beside Hammond, looking on as Dr Fraiser worked on Carter. Jackson seemed unaware of the blood still trickling down his face – every now and again, he wiped absently at it, but it was clear to Hammond that he didn’t even know what he was doing, what he was wiping away. "Hadn’t you better get that seen to, Dr Jackson?" he asked. 

The young man shook his head resolutely. "Not until I know how Sam is."

Hammond shrugged. As long as Daniel didn’t drop while standing there, he supposed that there was no harm. Truth be told, he didn’t fancy his chances of moving the doctor away – he’d seen what Daniel was like when he put his mind to something. "What happened over there?"

Daniel stared straight ahead, unable to take his eyes from the still figure that Janet was working on. Jack rubbed his eyes, trying to put it all together. "Everything looked fine when we got there…the women of the planet greeted us peacefully…. there were no men around…. it wasn’t until they came back that the sh…." He broke off, remembering where he was and to whom he was speaking.

Teal’c took up the tale. "When the men of the village arrived back, they reacted violently to seeing intruders. They opened fire on us with a weapon of unknown nature. Major Carter was the only one who was hit."

"We were running for the Stargate," Jack continued. "When Sam got hit. Teal’c picked her up, I activated the DHD, and here we are."

Hammond sighed. "Here we are."

Janet picked that moment to come over to them, having finished examining Sam. "How is she?" Daniel was the first one to ask the question, but Janet could only shake her head.

"She’s in a coma," she said frankly. "Her pulse is steady, her heart rate is normal, her blood work is fine…" She heaved a sigh of pure frustration. "Ostensibly, there’s not a thing wrong with her…. she’s just…. asleep."

Jack considered her words. "So when will she wake up?"

It was a simple enough question, but he could see the instant the words came out of his mouth that Janet had no simple answers. "I don’t know. It could be an hour…or a day…or a week…"

"Or never." Heads swung around to Daniel as he voiced their worst fear.

"C’mon Daniel, Sam’s a fighter!" Jack reminded him. "She’ll wake up. She’ll be fine."

Daniel returned his stare to Sam’s face. "I hope so."

>*<*>*<

Finally, after many attempts by Jack and Hammond to get his injury seen to, Daniel got himself patched up, convinced to by Teal’c. "It is unwise to let your injury fester Daniel Jackson," he had said, his stoic reserve never faltering. "Major Carter will not be served by you becoming ill. Nor would she want such an outcome."

Those were the words which had reached Daniel, and he repeated them now, sitting by Sam’s bedside, holding her hand. "It made me think Sam," he told her. "I mean, if you were here, you’d probably kick my ass for not having treatment." He sighed bitterly. "I wish you could…" He reached up and brushed Sam’s hair away from her face, sure that he’d give anything if he could just see her blue eyes look at his once more. "You have to wake up Sam…. we need you. C’mon, wake up…. look at me. How many times have I come back from the dead…you can come back from one lousy little coma…please Sam…please…"

>*<*>*<

Sam frowned slightly and twisted in her sleep. Somewhere, she didn’t know where, she could hear voices, very faint, drifting around the edges of her consciousness. She moved again, trying to get more comfortable, realising that that was the least of her problems. This bed, wherever it was, was the most comfortable one she’d slept on in ages. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked around her, and blinked as her eyes got used to the bright sunlight streaming in the window. Puzzled she looked around her. She was obviously in someone’s bedroom, if the wardrobes and slightly cluttered dressing table were anything to go by. The other side of the bed was crumpled, indicating that whoever had slept there the night before was already up. Looking around, she couldn’t figure out whose room it was. She’d never been here before.

Confused as she was, she could still hear footsteps approaching, small quick footsteps, as if someone was running up a staircase. The door, already ajar, opened a crack further, and a head peeked through. Once it was clear that Sam was awake, the door was flung open wide, and she found herself engulfed in a hug by a thirteen-year-old dervish. 

"Cassandra!" she exclaimed in surprise, trying to work out just what the girl was doing here, and for that matter, what _she_ was doing here. 

"You’re awake!" The smile on Cassandra’s face could have lit up the room all on it’s own. " _Finally_! Is your head ok?"

"It’s fine…. a little sore…." Sam rubbed her forehead, which really was sore. She just couldn’t remember how it got that way. 

"Are you coming downstairs?" Cassandra was already up and moving towards the door.

"Just a second…"

"Hurry up Mom! Dad’s making pancakes and scrambled eggs!"

It was a good thing that the child was already out the door when her words registered. _Mom? Dad? Holy Hannah, what’s going on here?_ While she might not remember much about where she was, Sam definitely couldn’t remember being married! Which she obviously was if the ring on her left hand was anything to go by. Reaching for the robe on the end of the bed, she slowly stood up and put it on, grateful that she didn’t seem to be suffering from any dizziness or unsteadiness. Still, she slowly made her way down the stairs, listening as Cassandra rabbitted on a mile a minute, presumably talking to her father. 

"Cassandra, didn’t I tell you not to wake your mom up?" said an all-too-familiar voice when Cassandra finally paused for breath. "She needs her sleep!"

"I know Daddy. I’m sorry." The child sounded genuinely apologetic.

"Go and set the table." There was no harsh tone to the voice, instead it sounded as if it were hiding a smile. The owner of the voice looked up when Sam entered the room. "Well good morning sleepyhead. How are you?" He came over and kissed her cheek, putting his arm around her.

Sam looked up at him with wide eyes, trying to hide her confusion, but too confused to do it well. "Daniel?" she whispered.

His eyes widened with alarm, and his arm automatically tightened around her waist. "Hey are you ok?" he asked, staring at her intently. "And don’t lie to me…. I know when you’re doing that."

She ran a hand through her hair. "I’m fine…. I just have this headache…."

"Yeah, Janet said you might…. you took one hell of a knock yesterday. You sit down, I’ll get you some aspirin."

Sam sat down, her head not only aching, but also whirring. Cassandra continued to work around her, filling a glass of orange juice and placing it in front of her. "Thanks sweetie," Sam said automatically, rubbing her eyes again. When she looked up again, Daniel was crouching down beside her.

"Here, take these." He pressed two tablets into her hand, watching her as she downed them. She could see the worry in his eyes and knew the question he was going to ask before he even asked it. He didn’t disappoint. "Are you sure you’re ok Sam? You’re a little pale."

She nodded. "I’m fine. Really. My head’s just a little knocked around, that’s all."

"You were out cold for a while after we got back," Daniel observed. "What can you remember about the mission?"

Sam concentrated, then shook her head. "Nothing. It’s all blank."

"Janet said that might happen." Daniel looked as if he were about to say something else, but whatever it was got swallowed up by Cassandra shouting from the stove.

"Dad! The pancakes are burning!"

Sam didn’t miss the proud look in his eyes as he rose. "That’s my girl. We’ll soon have her cooking as well as her old man." She made to get up, but he laid a hand on her shoulder, indicating that she should stay where she was. "You relax…we’ve got it."

Sam couldn’t take her eyes off them as they dished up pancakes and scrambled eggs, and Cassandra carried the first plate over to her. "You get the first plate Mom," she told her. "Because you’re sick."

"It’s just a bump to the head Cassie. I’m fine."

The child perked up as Daniel put two more plates down on the table, and she came back over with a stack of pancakes. "Does that mean we can go to the zoo like you promised?"

Sam looked at Daniel, who shook his head. "Don’t you ever get sick of the zoo Cassie?" he asked. "How many times have we brought you there?"

"But it’s fun!" Cassandra whined. "Can we Mom? Please?"

Sam, at a loss for words, looked at Daniel again. He took the hint. "Cassandra," he said firmly, in a tone that broked no argument. "Eat your breakfast."

Cassandra pouted, but she did as she was told. She didn’t mention the zoo again, but she did tell Sam and Daniel all about her school, her soccer game, and the problem about the food in the school cafeteria. When everyone was finished, she leaped up and began to clear the table without even being asked. The next thing that they could hear was her beginning to wash the dishes.

Daniel reached across the table and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. "I told her to go easy on you after yesterday…I guess she kinda forgot, huh?"

Sam grinned. "That’s Cassie."

Daniel grinned too. "Yep, that’s our girl." At the flicker that crossed her face, he scooted his chair closer to her and lowered his voice. "OK, out with it."

"Out with what?"

"I know there’s something bothering you. And it’s not just a bang on the head. What’s on your mind?" She lowered her head, and as she did so, she caught sight of the ring on his left hand – an exact match of the one she wore. She sighed in frustration – why couldn’t she remember any of this? "C’mon Sam." His voice was gentle. "You’re my wife…. there’s nothing you can’t tell me."

She looked up at him, and he was taken aback by the tears in her eyes. "I just…. Daniel, I can’t remember."

"I know…. you can’t remember what happened to you. You told me."

"Not just that." Sam kept her voice down as well, knowing that Cassandra was so close. "I can’t remember _this_ …… _us_ …..I can remember the Stargate, and the Colonel, and the work we do…bits of it…"

"Hey…. hey…" Daniel reached over and took her in his arms, holding her tightly. "Janet said this might happen…who knows what was in that gun they zapped you with? It’ll wear off Sam, I promise."

Sam pulled back and looked into his eyes, wanting to believe him. The only thing that she wanted more was to be wrapped in his arms again, knowing that it was the most comforting feeling she’d ever encountered. "How can you know that?" she whispered.

"Because we’ve been through worse than this and got through it." Daniel used the same firm tone he’d taken with Cassandra earlier. Taking her face in his hands, he used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "And no matter what happens Samantha Jackson, you’ll have me, and Cassie…. we’re not going anywhere." He brought his face closer to hers, and Sam closed her eyes, knowing that he was going to kiss her…

"Dishes are done…oops!" Cassandra’s voice broke the spell and Daniel let his hands drop and moved away. Cassandra looked at the two of them, and had the grace to look embarrassed. "Sorry…. again!" She smiled as she left the room, muttering something about how she wished she had normal parents, who fought most of the time. 

Daniel let his head fall forwards, so that his forehead was touching Sam’s. There was a smile on his face that wouldn’t go away. "Remind me again why we adopted her?" At the look on Sam’s face, he wished he could bite off his tongue. "Sam, I’m sorry, I…."

"It’s ok, it’s ok…why don’t you remind me?"

Daniel frowned, trying to formulate an explanation. "Well, we went through the gate to a planet called Hanka, and found all the people on the planet had been killed by a plague. We went back to try to find out what had happened, and found that there was one survivor – Cassie. When we brought her back, we discovered that the Goa’uld had left a bomb inside her…. in her chest."

Samantha blanched, swallowing hard as she thought of the child who had waited on her hand and foot all morning. "That’s horrible…how could they do something like that?"

Daniel shrugged, taking her hands in his again. "The Goa’uld aren’t big on ethics," he reminded her. "Cassie bonded with you…and you fell in love with her. When you thought she was going to die, you refused to leave her. You were willing to die with her."

"But she didn’t die."

"It was the gate that activated the bomb…Cassie got worse every time she was in close proximity to it. You kept her away from it, and the time for the bomb to go off just passed…it was reabsorbed into her system."

"That’s incredible." 

"Well, it’s true." Daniel shook his head, remembering. "I’ll never forget the feeling of standing with Jack and Teal’c in that nuclear shelter, just waiting for the bomb to go off, counting down the seconds. When Jack asked you if you were all right….waiting for you to answer…I thought I’d never hear your voice again…" His eyes filled with tears at the remembrance, and this time, it was her who squeezed his hands. "That was when I knew that I felt more for you than just friendship." Looking at Sam, he realised that her eyes were none too clear either and he cleared his throat. "Anyway…you decided that you wanted to adopt Cassandra. She adored you, Janet was willing to baby-sit when you were away nights and the General put in some good words for you. Then when we got married, I adopted her too."

"So now we’re one big happy family." Sam finished the story for him.

"Not big…not yet…," Daniel corrected her, blushing as his last words caused her to raise an eyebrow. "OK, that’s still under discussion…thought I could get it by you…" They both smiled. "But we are happy Sam…very happy…" Right then, there was a large crash from the garden, followed by the sounds of a dog barking. Daniel laughed. "Except when our daughter and her dog see fit to interrupt us!"

"Happens a lot, huh?"

"All the time." Daniel stood up. "I’d better go see what’s broken out there." He took a step then paused. "Look, I know we told Cassie we’d take her to the zoo, but I can tell her you’re still not a hundred percent…we can take her another time…"

"No…no…" Sam knew what he was trying to do, and appreciated the thought. "Maybe some fresh air would do me good….get out of the house…"

Daniel nodded, a relieved grin on his face. "I’ll tell Cassie." When Sam nodded but made no other movement, his eyes flickered over her robe. "Hadn’t you better go get dressed? Not that I’d mind if you stayed like that, but other patrons at the zoo might have a problem with it…"

Sam grinned bashfully. "Right."

>*<*>*<

Sam took her time getting ready, knowing that Daniel and Cassie would make allowances for her. She was still a little tired and confused, and her head was pounding, although the aspirins did finally seem to be working. She had a feeling that her headache was caused more by confusion over things she couldn’t remember than any bang she got on a mission. 

She could remember lots about the Stargate, and missions she had been on. She could remember sitting around a campfire with Jack and Teal’c and Daniel on hundreds of occasions. She even remembered a good lot of the story Daniel had told about her adopting Cassandra. She could remember the physics of the Stargate, the locations of some of the planets, she could even talk about some of the cultures they had encountered. Memories of her job weren’t the problem – it was her personal life that was causing her the most concern. _Not that there’s anything new in that!_ she thought to herself.

For as long as Sam could remember, work had been a refuge from her personal life. No matter how bad things were with her boyfriends, no matter what Dad and Mark were screaming at each other about, even when her mother died, school and work had always been her way of coping. She would throw herself into her studies and everything else, all the pain, all the fear, all the bad stuff would just go away. She’d never been great at long term relationships, and as a consummate tomboy, had never really seen herself as getting married either. Oh, she’d thought about it every now and then, but as far as actually doing it was concerned, she’d never felt strongly enough about anyone to actually go through with it. 

How then was it that Daniel, of all people, had found his way into her heart? She wasn’t blind by any manner of means. She’d certainly noticed how physically attractive he was, especially his eyes. She’d always believed that eyes were the windows to the soul, and whenever she looked into Daniel’s eyes, she’d always known straight away what he was thinking. The rest of the package wasn’t too bad either – she’d listened to Janet’s nurses go on about him often enough, and had smiled, but silently, she’d agreed with every word they said. But it was more than just looks when it came to Daniel. He was smart. Scary smart if she was brutally honest with herself, but that was part of the charm for her. She’d always gone for men who were as clever, if not more clever than she was. And not only was Daniel smart, but he didn’t mind that she was smart too. He never made fun of her when she was rattling on at a hundred miles an hour about some theory she’d concocted or some idea she’d had. He just sat there and listened, bounced ideas back to her, helped her out wherever he could. On the rare occasions where he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about, he just sat and listened and kept the coffee coming. 

Damn she loved that about him.

In spite of all that though, she still hadn’t figured out how she let herself fall in love with him. She knew, she’d always known, that dating someone you worked with was fraught with problems. Actually falling in love with them was a minefield. And marriage? Well that was just suicide. 

But somewhere along the line, she’d changed her mind. 

Where?

She stared at herself in the mirror, looking for answers that weren’t forthcoming. She was shaken out of her reverie by Cassandra’s voice coming up the stairs. "Mom, are you ready?"

The rush of love and the smile that spontaneously lit up her face as she heard the word "Mom" surprised her. Like marriage, motherhood was not something that she’d foreseen in her future. If a career in the Air Force wasn’t conducive to motherhood, then intergalactic gate-hopping certainly wasn’t. Yet against all the odds, here she was. Samantha Jackson, wife and mother. 

She liked the sound of that.

>*<*>*<

They spent most of the morning walking around the zoo, looking at the animals, talking and laughing, with Daniel and Sam swinging Cassandra between the two of them by the arms. Daniel had a huge store of trivia about different animals, and regaled Cassie with it at every opportunity. She listened open-mouthed to him, occasionally interjecting when he said something she didn’t understand, or when he contradicted himself. Sam listened to their chatter, and was almost surprised to realise how right this felt. 

Like things really should be that way.

All of a sudden, Cassie jumped up and down and squealed. "Reptile House! Reptile House!"

Sam barely repressed a shudder, but Daniel just nodded. "You know the score Cassie. Fifteen minutes."

She nodded and ran off. Sam turned to Daniel, curious. "Is that safe?"

Daniel took her by the hand and began walking. "We do this every time. You hate reptiles. And after seeing so many Goa’uld, I’m not too fond of them either. Cassie stays in the Reptile House for fifteen minutes, while you and I -" Leading her around the side of the building, he stopped and pointed. "-Wait here!" 

Sam laughed. "The Duck Pond?"

Daniel led her down the grassy slope and settled comfortably on a bench, staring across the water. "Cassie loves the duck pond. And if I know our daughter, she’s got half a loaf of bread in that bag of hers for later on."

"So she’ll come out when she’s ready?"

Daniel nodded. "You and I just sit here….and sometimes we talk, and sometimes we don’t…." His voice trailed off, and he looked at her finally. "This is my favourite part of the trip. Just being here with you, looking at the rest of the world go by…we see so much ugly stuff with the SGC….so many atrocities….but here, like this, it’s like it doesn’t even exist. We’re just like any two normal married people, sharing a family day out…it’s perfect."

As he spoke, Sam scooted closer to him on the seat, closing any distance between them. One of his arms was casually looped around her shoulder, and she reached out now and took his other hand in hers. Smiling to herself, she rested her head on his shoulder and just let herself relax, staring at the duck pond with her husband, appreciating the joyful simplicity of it. She sighed with contentment as his free hand reached up and he began to run his fingers through her hair. She didn’t need to look at him to know that a similar small smile of contentment was on his face.

"Is your head ok?" he murmured as she closed her eyes.

"Getting better all the time," she smiled. Then they reverted back to their comfortable silence, not needing to use words to share their feelings. 

They stayed like that until Cassandra ran up, smiling at the familiar sight that greeted her. "I’m not late am I?" she asked with a worried frown.

"I think we can let it go this time," Daniel commented with a lop-sided smile.

"See? Didn’t I say we’d have a great time here?"

Sam looked at her, then at Daniel, and a huge smile split her face. "You sure did." Wrapping her arms around the girl’s waist, she pulled her down onto the bench beside them. "And you know, your dad and I were talking, and he says you probably have some breadcrumbs stashed in that purse of yours."

Cassandra tried to keep a smile of her face, but she didn’t succeed very well. "Maybe." Her voice had a teasing, sing-song quality to it.

"I was thinking that those ducks looked hungry is all…" Sam let herself be pulled up off the seat and soon found herself being dragged over to the edge of the water where she and Cassandra adopted their own favourite ducks and threw bread to the others. Expecting Daniel to be beside her, she turned surprised when he wasn’t. She soon located him sitting exactly where they had left him, not moving, just staring across at them with a look on his face that caused her heart to skip a beat. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her and Cassie, and his expression showed love, pride, happiness, and peace….emotions she sometimes didn’t associate with Daniel. Mixed in with all of that was a look somewhere between lust and pure desire, and it was that, more than anything else, which caused her heart to skip and her pulse to quicken. When he saw her eyes on him, instead of an "oops!" stricken expression, she was treated to a slow smile, which only increased the effect his look had on her. Flustered, she looked away, becoming far more interested in the ducks. 

She didn’t have to look around to know that he was approaching her, and she didn’t jump when a pair of strong arms slipped around her waist. Instead she closed her eyes and concentrated on memorising every detail of this, savouring the contact, loving the feeling. 

She finally had the feeling of security and family she’d been craving all her life. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten it, and now she’d found it, she never wanted to lose it again. 

>*<*>*<

They stayed in the zoo for most of the day, and stopped for Chinese take-out on the way home. When they got to the house, Sam was surprised at the way in which both Daniel and Samantha worked together to get plates and drinks and relocate everything to the sitting room. Cassandra was told to run to the bathroom to wash her hands, as Daniel pulled the cartons out of the bag and opened them up. "This is another one of our traditions," he told her. "We’ve tried all kinds, but Cassie loves her Chinese food."

When they were finished, after more talking and laughter, Cassandra jumped up and pulled a book from the shelf. "Reading time!"

Sam looked at Daniel, who was ready with the answer. "Most nights when we’re home, we take it in turns to read a story together….everyone gets a turn. It can be any book, on any subject."

"But mostly, we read books that kids my age would have read," Cassandra added. "Because we didn’t have any of them…in Toronto." Her lips twitched as she uttered the white lie that had so long been a part of her life.

"Great. So what’s the book?" Sam tried to read the title as Cassandra opened it, but couldn’t manage it. She could see however, that they were quite near to the end of the book.

" _Anne of the Island"_ Cassandra told her.

"That’s one of my favourites!" Sam couldn’t stop the exclamation.

"I know." Daniel and Cassie spoke together, but only Daniel continued. "You had us read _Anne of Green Gables._ That was fine. But you had to mention there were _seven sequels!_ " The mock outrage and indignation in his voice clued Sam into the fact that he’d probably said this once or twice before. 

Cassandra giggled. "We’re on chapter 40" she announced. " _A Book of Revelation_ "

Sam settled back into the couch, smiling from a combination of listening to Cassandra reading, and Daniel putting his arm around her. She lost herself in the prose, smiling to herself when Cassandra got stuck reading Pacifique Buote’s conversation with Anne, when he told her Gilbert was better. She brought the book over to Daniel, and snuggling down beside him, laughed as Daniel affected the accent and explained what was meant to her. Sam was actually surprised, and a little disappointed, when Cassandra came to the end of the chapter. "Do we go on?"

"No! A chapter a night Mom, you know that!"

"I’m sorry honey, my brain’s still a little scrambled."

Cassie nodded in understanding. "At least you’ll still be here tomorrow night. We’ll finish it then." She looked around at Daniel. "You’re all quiet Dad."

Daniel ruffled her hair. "Just thinking."

"I know about what!" Cassandra looked immensely pleased with herself, as Daniel tilted his head.

"Oh you _do_ now, do you?"

"Yup!"

Daniel had a slightly amused look on his face, and that was reflected in his voice. "Well then, what _was_ I thinking?"

"You were thinking that Anne realised she loved Gilbert when he was sick and they thought he was going to die. And that’s like when Mom realised she was in love with you." Her grin got even broader as Daniel ducked his head and blushed. 

Sam was curious. "When did this happen?" Daniel was still blushing profusely and parried the question with an admonition to Cassandra that it was past her bedtime. Cassandra pleaded with him to tell the story, just one more time, and then she’d go to bed. "I think we can let her stay up for this…just this once.." Sam had a huge grin on her face. Daniel was always adorable when he was nonplussed. 

"OK, fine, you two always gang up on me," Daniel groused good-naturedly. "Well, we all know when I began to fall for your mom," he began conversationally.

"No! Start at the beginning! When you first met!" Cassandra demanded.

Daniel sighed a sigh that seemed to come from the tips of his toes. "OK….we first met after I’d been living on Abydos for a year. Sam came through the Stargate with Jack and the others, and I showed her the cartouche, and some of what I’d learned in the past year. While they were there, Apophis showed up and kidnapped Sha’re, my wife, and Skaara, her brother. They realised that he wanted them to be hosts – Sha’re for his wife, and Skaara for his child. They didn’t want that…so they killed themselves."

Sam could feel her eyes fill with tears at his words. Even now, the memories were still painful for Daniel, that much was obvious. 

"I couldn’t stay on Abydos – there were just too many memories. And I also wanted to find Apophis – to get revenge. So when I was asked, I joined the SGC, and was assigned to SG-1. Your mom and I spent a lot of time together, me teaching her what I knew about how the gate worked, bouncing ideas off one another….we were just friends for a long time."

"Then you found me!"

Daniel tickled Cassandra and she wriggled in his grasp. "Who’s telling this story? But yes. Then we found you. And I came very close to losing both of you. Which made me realise how much you both meant to me. When Sam decided to adopt you, I began to spend more and more time with you…. I told myself that I just needed to get out of the office, that I wanted a break from everything. But I just enjoyed spending time with you. Then - " He ruffled Cassandra’s hair again, a fond smile lighting up his face. " _Someone_ decided that they were going to play matchmaker, and made excuses to have me over all the time….needing help with homework, wanting to know all about Ancient Egypt….not exactly subtle!"

"It worked didn’t it?" Cassandra giggled.

"Well, we certainly got closer. We were this odd unit, functioning like a dysfunctional family. But your mom didn’t realise she had feelings for me until I switched bodies with an alien scientist named Machello."

"Switched bodies?" Sam couldn’t hide her disbelief – or her scepticism. Although Daniel did have a penchant for getting himself into impossible situations. 

"Long story. But a good one. For another night." Daniel cast an eye towards the clock. "Machello was old, and he was dying. I was knocked unconscious when the bodies were swapped, so by the time anyone realised what had happened, Machello, in my body, had gone topside. Every state trooper in the area was dispatched to look for him. Meanwhile, I was drifting in and out of a coma. You never left my side." He squeezed Sam’s hand as he spoke. "I could hear you as I came around….you were telling me that I couldn’t die on you, that you and Cassandra needed me. That I had to hang on. I was a sight…this old man, with wrinkles and whiskers…but I managed to hear you, and whisper…."

"It’s nice to know you don’t just like me for my looks." Sam whispered the words, then stared at him in shock. It was the first thing she’d been able to remember all day. He was equally shocked when he realised what she’d said, and then tears came into his eyes, which he battled back.

"You figured out how to swap us all back….you saved my life. And then, when I got better, I decided that I didn’t want to waste any more time. I asked you on a date, you said yes. We dated, and six months later, we were married."

"And you adopted me!" Cassie added. "General Hammond sorted it all out, and gave you the papers as a wedding present."

Daniel nodded. "He pulled some strings to rush it through for us. Janet was your maid of honour, and Cassie was the bridesmaid. Jack was my best man." As proof, Cassandra got up and took a picture from the mantelpiece. Sam stared at it, willing herself to remember. She and Daniel were in the centre, she in a long simple white dress, Daniel looking devastatingly handsome in a tuxedo. Cassandra stood in front of them, wearing a long navy blue dress, holding a posy of flowers and smiling proudly. Beside Sam, Janet was wearing the same kind of dress as Cassandra, while Jack stood on the other side of Daniel, in full dress uniform. She looked hard at the photo, at her and Daniel’s smiling faces, staring into each other’s eyes, grinning like idiots, as if there was no-one else in the world. But try as she might, she couldn’t remember it.

Daniel instantly knew the direction her thoughts were taking, and with a glance at Cassandra, gently reminded her that she really should go to bed. She hugged and kissed him, and did the same to Sam. "Good night Mom."

Sam broke from her reverie to hug the girl tightly, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. "Good night honey. See you tomorrow."

When she was gone, Sam resumed staring at the picture. "It was a beautiful day," Daniel told her. "The sun was shining, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky….it was perfect."

"Tell me about it." Suddenly, knowing all the details was vitally important to Sam.

"Well, it was a small wedding. The General was there, and Teal’c. Katharine and Ernest. Your dad gave you away….um… that was pretty much it for guests. Neither of us wanted a big ceremony, especially since if it was, Teal’c couldn’t go. So we had a party that evening for our friends, people who didn’t meet security clearance…." He traced Sam’s figure in the photo with his finger. "Our first dance was to _Perfect Day_. Which Jack insisted was corny beyond words, but we didn’t care. And you…you looked amazing. I mean, more than amazing." He shook his head with a chuckle. "I usually have plenty of words, but even I can’t sum up in words what you looked like that day. Every time I looked at you, I expected to wake up. I couldn’t believe that a beauty like you would ever be seen with a geeky anthropologist like me. And when the General made his speech, and presented us with those papers…all we had to do was sign them…I felt like the luckiest man in the world."

Sam shook her head. "I never saw you as a geeky anthropologist!" she protested.

"I know, I know. But that’s how I saw myself. It didn’t matter how many times you tried to convince me otherwise. I just thanked my lucky stars that you felt for me the same way as I feel for you." 

Sam’s voice betrayed her frustration. "I just wish I could remember!"

"You will. You will." Daniel’s voice was quiet and certain. "And even if you don’t, we have a lifetime together to make some new memories. I’m here Sam. And I’m not leaving."

Sam set the picture down on the table and curled up on the sofa. She swung her legs up underneath her, settling her head on Daniel’s chest. Both his arms went around her, and one hand reached up to toy absently with her hair. "Why don’t we see what films are on?" she suggested.

Daniel grinned, having already had the remote in his hand. "I think your memory is coming back."

"It is?" Sam looked at him, surprised.

"This is normally how we wind up a day like this."

>*<*>*<

They finally found _The Bookshop Around The Corner_ playing on one of the TV channels and settled down to watch it. Halfway through the movie, Sam could feel her eyelids getting heavier. She was tired after both the day out, and, she supposed, the mission the day before. Lying in Daniel’s arms, she could feel herself drifting off to sleep.

When she woke up again, she was still on the couch, and Daniel was staring down at her, a knowing smile on his face. "I’m sorry," she yawned sheepishly. "Did I fall asleep?"

Daniel’s hand kept moving through her hair. "You always do," he smiled. "I’m used to it. You fall asleep…I watch you."

"And what are you thinking when you’re watching me sleep?" Sam teased.

If Sam was teasing, Daniel was serious in his response. "I was wondering what in the world I ever did to be lucky enough to be here like this with you."

Sam propped herself up on one arm and reached the other one up to touch the side of his face. "Funny," she murmured. "I was just thinking the exact same thing." Looking deep into his eyes, she slipped her arm around the back of his neck, raising herself up towards him as he lowered his head down to meet hers. She could feel her heartbeat quicken as he drew nearer, just as it had earlier on that day when he looked at her at the duck pond, and even earlier than that, when he had moved to kiss her that morning. This time however, there was no Cassandra to interrupt them. She didn’t know what she expected to feel when his lips met hers, tentatively at first, then growing more passionate. What she did feel however, was an overwhelming feeling that this was _right_ , that this was something she’d been waiting for all her life. 

It felt like she’d come home. 

It was Daniel who pulled away first, and he just held her face in his hands for what seemed like forever. The love and desire he felt for her were evident in his face, and Sam knew that something very similar was probably on her own face. Daniel brushed her hair away from her forehead, and said, in a shaky voice, "Perhaps we should go upstairs."

Sam hesitated for all of a second before she replied. "Good idea."

>*<*>*<

Later, they lay in each other’s arms, silent, just as they had been when they sat beside the duck pond that day. Then, as now, they didn’t need words to convey the emotions they felt. They knew. It didn’t stop Daniel from whispering to Sam as he fell asleep. "I love you Samantha Jackson."

Looking up at him once more before she closed her eyes, Sam whispered, "I love you too." She saw him smile, and settled herself more comfortably in her arms. The last thought on her mind before she fell asleep was how nice this was, how right it felt to be held by Daniel, to sleep beside him in their own bed. How happy she was. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve the love of this wonderful man. But now that she knew what it was like, she was never going to let it go again.

>*<*>*<

Sam shifted in her sleep, and dimly felt herself become aware of her surroundings. Somehow, it was different than it should be. The bed wasn’t as soft as the one she fell asleep in. Nor was there the comforting presence of another’s arms around her. There was someone holding her hand though. Someone who was talking to her. "We’re all here Sam. Waiting for you to wake up. Although Janet’s bounced most of them…but they’re all thinking about you…praying for you….we need you Sam…."

She tried to open her eyes. They felt as if they were glued together. When that didn’t work, she concentrated on the vocal aspect of things. Knowing that it was Daniel sitting by her bedside, still not being able to figure out what was going on, she whispered something that seemed appropriate.

"It’s nice to know you don’t just like me for my looks."

The effect on Daniel was instantaneous. She heard a stool scraping back along the floor at speed, and his voice got louder – or was that nearer? "Sam? Sam? Janet, come quick! She’s awake! Come on Sam, open your eyes…."

By the time he got to that, Sam had managed to prise her eyes open. "There’s no need to shout," she whispered. As she looked around, she could see that she was in the infirmary, and Janet coming to fuss around her confirmed her suspicion. Daniel had the grace to look embarrassed at the noise he was making. Sheepishly, he ran his hands through his hair. As Sam looked at him, she noticed something – there was no wedding ring on his left hand. Glancing down, she realised there was none on hers either. "Some dream," she muttered to herself.

"Sam, how are you feeling?" Janet was all business.

"I’ve got one hell of a headache. What happened?"

"You don’t remember?" Daniel asked. When she shook her head, he continued. "You were hit on the mission yesterday….the natives didn’t take kindly to us coming along, and we were running for the gate when…..when you went down."

"But the good news is, you’re going to be fine," Janet told her. "You were just knocked out."

Sam frowned. "For how long?"

Daniel looked at the clock. "You slept the day around Sam."

"A whole day?" Sam looked confused, then realised it all made perfect sense. Obviously, her dream had been lived out in more or less real time. 

"We should leave Sam alone to get some rest Daniel," Janet told him, walking away from the bed.

Although she was treating her order as a fait accompli, Daniel was reluctant to move. "I guess I’d better go…. tell Jack and Teal’c that you’re ok…."

"Have you been here the whole time?" 

Daniel shrugged, still standing by the bedside, taking her hand in his. "I couldn’t leave. I don’t know why….I just couldn’t." 

Sam squeezed his hand back. "I’m glad you stayed," she whispered, more to herself than him. 

The look they were giving each other was straight out of Sam’s dream, and as luck would have it, Janet picked that moment to rap on the door. Daniel gave Sam an apologetic grin. "I’ll be back later," he promised. Before he let her hand go, he brought it to his lips and kissed it quickly. Then, still wearing that thoughtful, serious look, he was gone.

>*<*>*<

The next day found Sam in the locker room, lost in thought. Her body was pulling things out of her locker, in preparation for the week’s medical leave that Janet had procured for her. Her mind however, was literally a world away, in whatever dreamland she had inhabited for the duration of her coma. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see herself, Daniel and Cassandra operating as a family. She could remember the smiles and the laughter, the teasing, the familiarity. The way he looked at her. The way he touched her. The way it felt to be in his arms. 

It wasn’t as if thoughts like that had never crossed her mind. A good soldier she might be, but she was also very much a woman, and as such, she’d noticed how good-looking Daniel was. One didn’t spend time on the base, particularly in the company of Janet’s nurses, without having the physical proportions of any male pointed out to her in lurid detail. Daniel was, of course, one of their favourite targets. What made him even more appealing to them was that he didn’t have a damn clue what they were saying about him. Jack had been known to strut and preen his way through the infirmary. But not Daniel. Never Daniel.

While thoughts like that had crossed her mind, she’d never seriously entertained them. After all, when she first met him, he was married. She’d never seen a man more devoted to his wife, even after Sha’re had been taken. She’d never have dared to compete with that. And after Sha’re had died, she’d still felt that way – how could she move in on her best friend, a grieving widower? What was she supposed to say – "Gee Daniel, I know your wife and soul mate has just been killed by one of your best friends, but never mind, I’ll make it better?" Of course not. Sha’re was one reason she’d never seriously thought about Daniel romantically. The other was Colonel O’Neill. Not that she’d ever seriously entertained thoughts of him either. For one, he was her CO, and it was against regs. For another, he had more baggage than LA International Airport, and she didn’t want to even think about the work involved in getting past that. Forays into alternative realities had made her think twice, but not for long. Jack O’Neill was her colleague and a friend, but nothing more. 

She’d been over these logical arguments a hundred times. Falling for a co-worker was a bad, bad, bad idea. She knew that.

Somehow though, just as he had in her dream, Daniel had slipped past her defences. She was in love with him. It may have taken being knocked into a coma and having the strangest yet most realistic dream ever to realise it, but she was. 

And she didn’t have a clue what to do about it.

With her mind in a whirl, she all but collapsed on the bench behind her and dropped her head into her hands. 

The instant she did that, she realised that she wasn’t alone.

"Sam! Are you ok?"

Sam allowed herself a bittersweet smile before looking up into the concerned eyes of none other than Daniel Jackson. _Daniel, it’s about your timing_ she thought to herself. "I’m fine Daniel."

He was squatting down beside her, and reached over and took her two hands in both of his. "Are you sure? ‘Cause I can get Janet if you…"

"No! No Janet!" Sam interrupted him. "She’ll have me back in sickbay before I know it. Really Daniel. I’m fine."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. He clearly didn’t believe her, but wasn’t going to push things. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking at her bag. 

"Oh, I’m just getting some stuff. Janet has me on medical leave for the next week. You’ll have to let me know what I’m missing." 

The last was said lightly, but Daniel treated it seriously. "It won’t be much. We’re on stand-down for the next three days anyway."

Sam nodded. "Well, I’d better get going." She stood up slowly and carefully. Unlike her dream, in _this_ reality, she got light-headed if she stood up too quickly.

"You’re not driving?" Daniel was immediately on his feet with her, and renewed concern was stamped all over his face, especially when she nodded. "You can’t! You’ve just had a concussion! Or something like one!"

"Daniel, I’m - "

"Don’t tell me you’re fine!" Daniel held up a hand as if to ward off any statements from the stubborn major. "I’m driving you home. Ah!" The last was in response to Sam’s open mouth, and the hand went up again. "No arguments. Got your stuff?" Sam just nodded again, and he picked up the bag and made to leave. "Coming?"

Sam, not quite sure what to make of this, just followed him.

>*<*>*<

By the time they got to her apartment, Sam was glad that Daniel had bullied her into letting him drive. She was exhausted, and it was practically all she could do to walk up to her front door. Daniel was chivalrous enough to take the keys out of her hand and actually open the door for her, and he looked at her with concern as she flopped down onto the couch.

"Do you want me to make some tea?" he asked.

She shook her head, instantly regretting the gesture. "You don’t have to do that Daniel," she tried to tell him, only to realise it was too late. He was already pottering around her kitchen like he owned the place. She let her head fall back against the couch cushions and closed her eyes, letting the sounds lull her into a state of near-slumber. She opened her eyes with difficulty when she felt Daniel sitting down on the couch beside her. 

"Here you go," he said quietly, handing her a cup. She sipped it gratefully and closed her eyes as she felt the heat from the cup warm her hands. 

"Just how I like it." The words were out before she even realised she’d said them. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Daniel looking at her carefully. "You know," she continued, attempting to lighten the mood. "Janet should really learn how to make a decent cup of tea in sickbay – it’d cure more people than all her medicine."

Daniel grinned. "Maybe that’s why she doesn’t."

"Maybe so."

"So, what did you dream about?"

Sam almost choked on her tea. "Dream? When?"

"When you were asleep. It was one of the first things you said when you woke up. "Some dream." What did you dream about?"

Sam took a deep breath, then another sip of tea in an effort to give her more time to collect her thoughts. She opted eventually to parry the question. "I can’t remember exactly," she lied smoothly. "Just…. crazy stuff." She was brave enough, or foolish enough then, to look up at Daniel and when she did, she had to fight not to catch her breath. The look he had on his face was the same one he wore countless times during her dream. 

If Daniel knew she was lying, he chose not to comment on it. Instead, he looked down, as if afraid to meet her gaze, and when he spoke, he spoke quietly. "You looked just like you were sleeping, having some kind of pleasant dream. It was…. odd. I kept expecting you to wake up."

Sam could barely look at him either. "I can’t believe you stayed."

Once again, Daniel’s voice was low. "It was the longest day of my life."

Sam was equally quiet. "It was the most perfect one of mine."

As each realised what the other had said, they looked up at one another and held the gaze. Once again, Sam could feel her heart speed up, and she smiled a small, uncertain smile. Daniel mirrored it before clearing his throat. "You know…. we’re both off for the next three days. Maybe you’d like to…."

"Spend some time together?" Sam finished the sentence, and was relieved to see him smile broadly at her.

"Yeah…. you know, Janet was telling me that Cassie’s been asking about bringing her to the zoo…. we could do that…. if you feel up to it…."

Sam blinked once, then twice, as she felt a chill run down her spine. She only hesitated for an instant before replying. "That’d be…fun…"

Daniel reached over and took her hand in his. "And maybe after that….we could have dinner…."

"Chinese food." Sam spoke without thinking, and was rewarded with a beaming smile from Daniel.

"And then, if you feel like it….you can tell me what you were dreaming." He laced his fingers through hers as he spoke, and rested their interlocked hands on the back of the couch.

With her free hand, Sam put the cup down on the table, then settled back down on the couch, relaxing against Daniel, smiling as she felt his heartbeat against her cheek and his breath moving through her hair. "Don’t worry," she murmured, as her eyes closed. "You’ll find out….."

As they drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms, both faces wore the same contented look. Both souls felt the same sense of peace. Both dreamed the same vision of the future. And a song danced through Sam’s head.

__

Just a perfect day  
Feed animals in the zoo  
And then later, a movie too  
And then home…  
Oh it’s such a perfect day  
I’m glad I spent it with you  
Oh such a perfect day  
You just keep me hanging on  
You just keep me hanging on……


End file.
